Blog – Timothy Off Heating, Air Conditioning & Plumbinghttp://www.timothyoffheating.com
Fri, 22 Sep 2017 14:00:42 +0000en-UShourly1https://wordpress.org/?v=4.7.552987882HVAC Tips for the Fall Seasonhttp://www.timothyoffheating.com/about/blog/home-energy-tips/hvac-tips-fall-season/
Fri, 22 Sep 2017 14:00:42 +0000http://www.timothyoffheating.com/?p=4567Well the first day of fall is officially upon us, which means you should be thinking about prepping your home for the upcoming season. One of the major things to think about is your HVAC system, and our cooling and heating repair experts have a few tips to help get you ready for cooler temperatures.

Well the first day of fall is officially upon us, which means you should be thinking about prepping your home for the upcoming season. One of the major things to think about is your HVAC system, and our cooling and heating repair experts have a few tips to help get you ready for cooler temperatures:

Turn Your Heater on Early

The last thing you want to do is wait for a cold day or night to turn on your heater. If you turn it on and discover it’s not working properly, you’ll have to bundle up instead of enjoying the warmth. Do yourself a favor and turn your heater on early so you can make sure it’s working correctly. If it isn’t, don’t hesitate to call our heating repair experts. We’ll diagnose the problem and get it fixed quickly.

Replace Your Filter

Summertime comes with a lot of airborne particles and over the last couple months, these particles have been collecting in your HVAC filter. Before the fall season starts, make sure you wash or replace your filter so that it’s ready to trap the dust, allergens, and other debris that come with the season.

Check Your Windows and Doors

As temperatures drop, you’ll want to keep all of your home’s heat inside your home, so make sure you check your windows and doors for any leaks. Inspect the seals, weatherstripping, and overall tightness of your windows and doors to make sure your heat isn’t escaping to the outside. If it is, you’ll have to use more energy to heat your home and in turn, pay more to do so.

Clear Away Foliage

Your HVAC unit should be free from foliage all year round, but it’s especially important to keep your unit clean during the fall. If you have tree branches that hang over your unit and an early snowfall or ice storm occurs, it could weigh down the leaves and cause the branches to snap. The weight of the branches plus the snow or ice could damage your HVAC unit, so make sure you trim back any trees that are nearby.

As always, if you have any questions or concerns about your HVAC system, give our cooling and heating repair experts a call.

]]>45675 Common Toilet Issues and Their Causeshttp://www.timothyoffheating.com/about/blog/tips/5-things-causing-toilet-run/
Fri, 08 Sep 2017 20:34:18 +0000http://www.timothyoffheating.com/?p=4559Does your toilet run constantly? Does it flush slowly? Maybe it gets clogged on a regular basis. No matter what the issue, our plumbing experts know how frustrating toilet problems can be. Here are the most common issues and the reasons they may be happening.

]]>Does your toilet run constantly? Does it flush slowly? Maybe it gets clogged on a regular basis. No matter what the issue, our plumbing experts know how frustrating toilet problems can be. Here are the most common issues and the reasons they may be happening:

Spontaneous Refills

If you hear the slow trickle of your toilet’s tank filling up out of nowhere, don’t worry – your toilet doesn’t have a mind of your own. Many people call this issue the “phantom flush” and it’s usually a very slow leak from the tank into the bowl. This issue is often caused by a bad flapper or a bad flapper seat. (The flapper is what seals the hole between the tank and bowl.)

A Weak Flush

If your toilet bowl empties slowly and has a “weak” flush, there’s a good possibility that the flush holes underneath the rim of the bowl are clogged. Try using a piece of wire to poke the holes and loosen any debris. If it’s still emptying slowly, use the same technique on the siphon jet at the bottom of the drain.

Less Water in the Bowl

Do you flush your toilet and bowl fills up normally, but after awhile, there seems to be less water in it? Two things could be causing this issue: Water could be slowly siphoning from the bowl by a partial clog up in the colon of the bowl or the bowl may actually have a crack in the interior colon or piping. (The latter is less common and requires installing a new bowl.)

Constant Running

If you hear water running constantly in your house, you may want to check your toilet. A constantly running toilet not only wastes water, but is usually caused by water continuously running out of the tank and into the bowl, which prevents your fill valve from shutting off. Check your flapper, your flush lever assembly, and the fill valve itself for signs of damage. Also check for any general debris that could be getting in the way of these things operating correctly.

Leaks

Most toilets have five seals that are meant to prevent leaks: the largest seal is between the tank and the bowl and the smaller seals are around the mounting bolts and the base of your flapper. If your toilet is experiencing a leak and you’re not sure where it’s coming from, you’ll likely have to check all of the seals to find out which is faulty. You can also try tightening your bolts – sometimes this is enough to stop a leak.

]]>4559What a World Powered by Renewable Energy Could Look Likehttp://www.timothyoffheating.com/about/blog/energy-news/4547/
Fri, 25 Aug 2017 13:45:26 +0000http://www.timothyoffheating.com/?p=4547At Timothy Off, we're always fascinated by new and continued developments in the renewable energy world and we do our best to keep our carbon footprint down. (Just look at our geothermal heating and cooling service!) Recently, we discovered an article by Kendra Pierre-Louis that discusses the possibility of a world that relies solely on renewable energy. We thought we'd share.

The Year 2050 Could Be Big

At Timothy Off, we’re always fascinated by new and continued developments in the renewable energy world and we do our best to keep our carbon footprint down. (Just look at our geothermal heating and cooling service!) Recently, we discovered an article by Kendra Pierre-Louis that discusses the possibility of a world that relies solely on renewable energy. We thought we’d share:

“The country’s energy mix is under scrutiny. A report commissioned by Energy Secretary Rick Perry acknowledges that low natural gas prices—not renewables—are behind the recent closure of coal energy plants, and that the grid has managed to withstand the increasing presence of renewable energy. According to an unrelated study published this week in the journal Joule, the world is poised to give up fossil fuels altogether.

The research lays out renewable energy roadmaps—the mix of resources a given country would need to transition away from fossil fuels to renewable energy—for 139 countries collectively responsible for more than 99 percent of the global carbon emissions. According to the resulting analysis, the planet is pretty much ready to go 100 percent renewable by 2050.

Fossil fuels like coal, natural gas, and oil are not renewable resources. It took an extremely long time for the Earth to produce them, and they’re going to run out. And now that we know them to be significant contributors to human-caused climate change, trying to replace them is basically a no-brainer. Still, many regard renewable energy as the flighty, less dependable sibling of our go-to fossils. But according to the United States Energy Information Administration (EIA), renewable energy sources accounted for roughly 15 percent of total electricity generation and 10 percent of total U.S. energy consumption in 2016. Some of that investment in renewable energy is being led by places that we tend to associate with petroleum, like Texas, where wind energy provided more than 12 percent of that state’s electricity in 2016.

Even the United States military has vowed to get 25 percent of its energy from renewable sources. And this is more practical than environmental: A hybrid electric tank uses less gas, and doesn’t need to refuel as often. Also: solar panels don’t explode the same way a gas tank does.

But could the world really give up on fossil fuels entirely? Jacobson and his colleagues used available data to assess how much wind, geothermal, and solar energy each of the 139 countries they studied has at its disposal, and how much of that it would take to achieve 80 percent renewable energy usage by 2030 and 100 percent by 2050.

“Like anything, you don’t want to change—and it’s hard to change if something is working right now. But right now things are working with humongous side effects.”

“I was surprised by how many countries we found had sufficient resources to power themselves with 100 percent wind, water, and solar power,” says Jacobson. The countries could all function using the renewable energy potential contained within their own borders, and most could do it while relying mainly on technologies that already exist.

For small nation-states, like Singapore, the task of going totally renewable would be hard—but doable. Most countries could manage by mixing energy generation into existing landscapes—putting solar panels on rooftops, for example, or placing wind turbines on ranch land—while also creating dedicated renewable energy power plants like solar farms.

And according to the researchers, this process would actually decrease the amount of land dedicated to energy production overall.

“The entire renewable energy footprint […] is on order of 1.15 to 1.2 percent of the world’s land,” says Jacobson. “But keep in mind that 20 percent of the world’s land is used for agriculture. In the United States, if you just look at oil and gas, there are 1.7 million active oil and gas wells and 2.3 million inactive wells. Collectively they take up somewhere between one to two percent of the U.S. land area. And that’s not counting the refineries, the pipelines, or coal and nuclear infrastructure.”

And then there’s the fact that we wouldn’t have the oil spills and chemical leaks associated with transporting and refining fossil fuels. Renewable energies involve a relatively fixed amount of land use; wind and solar energy doesn’t run out, so a solar farm erected today will still be pumping out electricity in a few decades. And even as those panels wear out, new ones can be erected on the same site. Coal seams run out and oil wells run dry, so we’re constantly pressing new locations into service. Tens of thousands of new oil wells are drilled annually.

“We would reduce, we think, the footprint on the land,” says Jacobson.

The study builds on earlier research by Jacobson that analyzed the technological feasibility—and the socio-economic benefits—of switching to renewable energy. That research suggested that the gradual shift to 100 percent renewable energy would lower the social cost of energy, especially deaths associated with fossil fuel pollution.

“With oil and gas, you have to keep drilling and mining, and pollution keeps going on forever,” says Jacobson. “Worldwide, we have more than 4 million air pollution deaths from it. Things have to change—they’re not sustainable as they are.”

He calculated that renewable energy could prevent 4.6 million premature deaths a year by 2050, simultaneously adding 24.3 million jobs to the economy. It would also save more than $50 trillion dollars a year in climate- and pollution-related costs.

This infographic represents the roadmaps developed by Jacobson et al. for 139 countries to use 100 percent wind-water-solar in all energy sectors by 2050.

The first major step is (literally) electrifying: if all energy sectors (including transportation, heating/cooling, industry, and agriculture) start running on electricity instead of gas and oil, a nation’s overall energy usage goes down.

“When you’re driving a car, only 17 to 20 percent of the energy in the gasoline goes to move the car. The rest is waste heat,” says Jacobson. “Whereas in an electric car, 80 to 86 percent of the electricity goes to move a car. You need one-fourth to one-fifth of the energy to drive an electric car than to drive a gasoline car.”

That’s one reason why both France and Britain are pushing to ban all non-electric cars by 2040. Germany is working toward a ban on internal combustion engines by 2020.

“By electrifying everything, just doing that, the power demand will go down because of the efficiency of electricity,” says Jacobson. Averaged across sectors, there’s a 23 percent reduction in energy demand just by switching to electricity. And when that electricity comes directly from renewable sources like solar and wind instead of coal, the savings keep getting better. According to Jacobson, 12.6 percent of global electric energy use goes toward mining, refining, and transporting fossil fuels (and uranium for nuclear power). Electrification plus a switch to renewables leads to a 36 percent reduction in demand—with no significant change in quality of life.

“We think a transition is possible and its beneficial in multiple ways, and there’s little downside to a transition,” says Jacobson. “Like anything, you don’t want to change—and it’s hard to change if something is working right now. But right now things are working with humongous side effects.””

]]>45477 Things You (Probably) Didn’t Know About Air Conditioninghttp://www.timothyoffheating.com/about/blog/how-stuff-works/7-things-you-didnt-know-about-air-conditioning/
Wed, 09 Aug 2017 18:07:54 +0000http://www.timothyoffheating.com/?p=1306Summer is still in full swing and by now, you've taken solace in front of an air conditioner to escape the heat. But while you're enjoying your crisp cold air, there are some things you probably don't know about air conditioning.

Summer is still in full swing and by now, you’ve taken solace in front of an air conditioner to escape the heat. But while you’re enjoying your crisp cold air, there are some things you probably don’t know about air conditioning:

One

During the Great Depression, households didn’t have air conditioning yet and movie theaters were one of the first types of businesses to use it. Because of this, people flocked to see movies in the summertime, so theaters started releasing their biggest movies during the summer. This is where the term “summer blockbuster” comes from.

Two

The very first air conditioner was designed by an engineer at a New York publishing company. In 1902, Willis Carrier wanted a way to control the humidity in the building so that the ink would dry faster, so he invented the “Apparatus for Treating Air” and received a patent for it in 1906.

Three

Air conditioners used to use chlorofluorocarbons (commonly known as Freon) to cool the air that passes through them. Scientists discovered, however, that when these chemicals escape, they float up to the ozone layer and release chlorine, which attacks and depletes it, so they banned them in 1987. Air conditioners now use hydrofluorocarbons.

Four

Before air conditioning and refrigeration were invented, people used ice to cool things. When cooling machines were introduced, they were rated by the heat power it took to melt a short ton of ice in a day. This is where the term “ton of refrigeration” came from. Today, one ton is equal to 12,000 BTU/h.

Five

The idea of producing cool air goes as far back as the early 1800s, when Floridian physician John Gorrie invented a machine that produced ice. He was looking for a way to cool the rooms of his patients, who were suffering from yellow fever.

Six

The idea for “summer break” came from a lack of air conditioning. Before air conditioning was popular, schools closed down for the summer because of the heat. Governments also closed down, but eventually resumed operation – schools, however, still enjoy summer breaks.

Seven

Closing vent registers in your home won’t re-direct the air conditioning to other vents. Instead, it will actually cause stress to your HVAC system, which could lead to maintenance problems and a need for air conditioning service.

]]>1306The Top 3 Benefits of an Air Scrubber Systemhttp://www.timothyoffheating.com/about/blog/tips/top-6-benefits-air-scrubber/
Thu, 27 Jul 2017 16:10:29 +0000http://www.timothyoffheating.com/?p=4485Most of our time is spent indoors - especially in our homes, so indoor air quality is extremely important. If your home is full of dust, dirt, and other particles, it means you and your family are constantly inhaling them as they circulate through your HVAC unit.

Most of our time is spent indoors – especially in our homes, so indoor air quality is extremely important. If your home is full of dust, dirt, and other particles, it means you and your family are constantly inhaling them as they circulate through your HVAC unit.

Dirty air can cause headaches, sore throats, dry eyes, and other uncomfortable symptoms, but with an Air Scrubber Plus air purification system, you can “bring the cleaning power of nature indoors” so you and your family breathe fresh, clean air. Here are the main benefits of an Air Scrubber system:

Cleans, Freshens, Purifies

Indoor air can be 2-5 times more polluted than the air outdoors, but with an Air Scrubber, you’ll enjoy ActivePure technology that cleans, freshens, and purifies the air around you. Once you turn it on, the ethylene-scrubbing science immediately goes to work removing 99.9% of offensive odors, dangerous airborne contaminants, gases, vapors, mold, and VOCs. Your home’s air will be clean, fresh, and purified – all in one easy motion.

Protects Your Home

Indoor air is actually listed as one of the top five environmental dangers by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. With the power of an Air Scrubber, however, you can protect yourself and your family. Most know that the Air Scrubber cleans your air, but many don’t know that it also cleans furniture, countertops, air ducts, doorknobs, and virtually every other surface in your home. This makes your entire home safer to live in – especially when it comes to germs and bacteria.

Reduces Allergy/Asthma Symptoms

If you suffer from allergies or asthma, you may experience worsened symptoms when you’re indoors. This is because dust, dirt, and airborne particles can aggravate these conditions and make breathing more difficult. With an Air Scrubber, you won’t have to worry about inhaling contaminants and making your symptoms worse. You can enjoy fresh, clean air and breathe easy any time you’re home.

Backed by University Studies

These benefits from the Air Scrubber Plus have actually been proven by scientific studies by both Kansas State University and the University of Cincinnati. These studies have showed that the Air Scrubber’s technology reduced MRSA and E. coli particles by more than 98% and neutralized black mold and other dangerous pathogens. In addition, it cleaned the air 100 times faster than usual.

]]>44855 Signs of a Damaged Sewer Linehttp://www.timothyoffheating.com/about/blog/backhoe-services/4-dangers-sewer-line-damage/
Thu, 13 Jul 2017 21:03:32 +0000http://www.timothyoffheating.com/?p=4470While some plumbing issues are minor and can be taken care of fairly easily, sewer line damage is a more serious issue. A crack or leak in your sewer line can mean water damage, sewage exposure, and more. Here are 5 signs of a damaged sewer line.

While some plumbing issues are minor and can be taken care of fairly easily, sewer line damage is a more serious issue. A crack or leak in your sewer line can mean water damage, sewage exposure, and more. Here are 5 signs of a damaged sewer line:

Gas Odor

Do you smell a rotten egg-like smell in or around your home? This is a telltale sign of a sewer gas leak. Because your sewer should be air tight everywhere except the vent stacks on your roof, you should never smell sewer gas odor. If you do, you likely have a crack or opening in your sewer system, which could lead to bigger problems.

Backups

If your toilet, sink, or bathtub backs up every time you flush or run the water, you may have a problem with your sewer line. Backups usually occur in the lowest open drain and are caused by a blockage of some sort, so if your problem is just with one drain, the blockage may be in that drain. If your problem is with all of your drains, it’s likely a main sewer line issue.

Lawn Indentations

The next time you’re outside, pay attention to your yard. Are there any indentations in areas that weren’t there before? This could mean you have a leak in your sewer line and the excess water has been saturating the soil so that it eventually dissipates. Also pay attention to pavers, if you have them. If they’re dipping or sinking, it could mean a problem.

Slow Drain

Slow drains are incredibly frustrating and can sometimes be cured with a drain cleaner and hot water. If you’ve tried to clear your drains and they’re still moving slow, you could have a blockage forming in your sewer system. Sometimes, our expert plumbing company finds cracks, channelling, or even tree roots causing the issue.

Insect Infestations

Though the last thing you may think of is insects when it comes to sewer problems, infestations could be a sign of an issue. Cockroaches, palmetto bugs, and sewer flies can all easily get through cracks in a sewer system and in return, they can more easily get into your home. In fact, cockroaches (depending on the type) can fit through cracks as small as a dime or a quarter and can carry bacteria and/or diseases with them that harm your health.

If you believe you have a sewer line issue, give our expert plumbing company a call. We offer excavation services and can have your problem fixed quickly.

]]>4470What Does NATE-Certified Mean?http://www.timothyoffheating.com/about/blog/about-our-company/what-does-nate-certified-mean/
Thu, 29 Jun 2017 18:30:26 +0000http://www.timothyoffheating.com/?p=2198At Timothy Off, we take pride in our HVAC company. Each of our specialists is friendly, fully trained and holds a NATE Certification - but what exactly does that mean?

At Timothy Off, we take pride in our HVAC company. Each of our specialists is friendly, fully trained and holds a NATE Certification – but what exactly does that mean?

NATE stands for North American Technician Excellence – a non-profit organization that was founded in 1997. It is the largest non-profit that certifies technicians for Air Conditioning, Heating, Ventilation, and Refrigeration.

The GOODS Principal

The organization enforces the “GOODS” principal, which gives each technician the opportunity to receive training and knowledge from industry experts across the nation:

Governed by the industry to make sure all technician programs are structured and operated in a collaborative effort.

Owned and Operated by the industry to make sure that no one party benefits more than another and that all programs are open to a consensus.

Developed by the industry to enhance the skills of each technician.

Supported by the industry to make sure technician programs stay financially stable.

Areas of Specialty

Each of the certifications offered by NATE is created to test the technician on his or her knowledge of real-world HVAC and Refrigeration systems. A technician can achieve an Installation Certification, Service Certification, or both, for these areas:

Air Distribution

Air Conditioning

Commercial Refrigeration

Light Commercial Refrigeration

Heat Pumps

Oil Furnaces

Gas Furnaces

Hydronics Gas

Hydronics Oil

Ground Source Heat Pump Loop Installer

Senior HVAC Efficiency Analyst

The NATE organization says that every test they offer is “rigorous,” so no matter which Tim Off technician helps you with your HVAC situation, you can rest easy they know what they’re doing.

]]>2198Can Computer Servers Be Used to Heat Water?http://www.timothyoffheating.com/about/blog/energy-news/can-computer-servers-used-heat-water-heaters/
Fri, 16 Jun 2017 17:29:23 +0000http://www.timothyoffheating.com/?p=4394If you've ever owned a laptop, you know they can get pretty hot (even to the point of overheating, if your laptop is an older one). Chances are you've never thought twice about it, but Dutch company Nerdalize has its sights set on using that heat for something more.

If you’ve ever owned a laptop, you know they can get pretty hot (even to the point of overheating, if your laptop is an older one). Chances are you’ve never thought twice about it, but Dutch company Nerdalize has its sights set on using that heat for something more.

Many companies use massive data centers with dozens of computers for things like cloud storage, cybersecurity, telecommunications, and more, but with so much heat coming from each computer, it can end up being a problem. Some have tried to fix the issue by moving their centers to cold locations (like the arctic) or investing in giant air conditioners, but what if we actually used all of that heat?

This summer, Nerdalize has plans to install computer servers in 42 Dutch homes and harness the heat produced by them. The heat would go towards the water supply in order to wash dishes, take baths or showers, and do laundry. The idea comes from past experiments by Nerdalize – the company has tested out the idea of turning servers into wall heaters. While the experiment was successful, it took the heaters a long time to heat up.

If the home servers prove to be an efficient use of heat, the idea could save homeowners around $340 a year in heating costs. In addition, it could reduce the energy needed to cool down servers and overall, create a smaller carbon footprint.

Perhaps a more creative water heater is in the making… our water heater company is optimistic!

]]>4394What Did People Use Before Air Conditioners?http://www.timothyoffheating.com/about/blog/how-stuff-works/brief-history-keeping-cool/
Fri, 02 Jun 2017 01:30:00 +0000http://www.timothyoffheating.com/?p=4365It was 1902 when the first modern air conditioning unit was invented by Willis Carrier and ever since then, people around the world have enjoyed cold, crisp air in the heat of the summer. Although 1902 sounds like a long time ago, remember that people lived long before 1902 without air conditioning. So how exactly did they keep cool? Our air conditioning experts explain.

It was 1902 when the first modern air conditioning unit was invented by Willis Carrier and ever since then, people around the world have enjoyed cold, crisp air in the heat of the summer. Although 1902 sounds like a long time ago, remember that people lived long before 1902 without air conditioning. So how exactly did they keep cool? Our air conditioning experts explain:

Dampened Sheets

Ancient Egyptians, Indians, Romans, and Greeks used to dampen sheets or mats and hang them in a doorway or open area. When a breeze came through, the air that flowed through the mat or sheet was colder than the breeze, creating a cold draft.

Underground Caves

Underground temperatures stay around 50 degrees all year round, which means if you create a cave or dig into a hillside to build a home, you can escape the heat and enjoy cooler temperatures. This is what many people used to do to stay cool.

Stone Homes

Because the stones in caves stay cold, many people built above-ground homes out of stone or brick to recreate the cooling effect that cave walls provide.

Foliage

It’s always cooler in the shade, so why not create as much as possible in order to stay cool in the summertime? Homeowners often planted tall foliage on the east and west sides of their homes to not only block the hot rays of the sun, but also cool down the breezes that would flow through. Once winter came along, the trees would lose their leaves and sunlight was able to reach the house.

Architectural Design

Not many people think of architectural design when it comes to staying cool, but this was actually a major factor in home building. By creating archways, high ceilings, and large windows, builders could funnel in outdoor breezes and create a cross breeze. In addition, many porches were built in the shade to give people an area to cool off.

Fans

Fans have been around for hundreds of years; early hand fans were shaped in half-circles and made from leaves, feathers, fabric, or paper to make them light and easy to hold. Once the 1880s came around, many people turned to electric fans and ever since then, they’ve been a popular way to keep cool.

]]>4365Home Energy Installations: Geothermal vs. Solarhttp://www.timothyoffheating.com/about/blog/how-stuff-works/home-energy-installations-geothermal-vs-solar/
Sat, 20 May 2017 00:19:17 +0000http://www.timothyoffheating.com/?p=4316The majority of homeowners use electricity, natural gas, or oil to power their homes. However, over the last decade or so, some have turned to alternative sources of energy such as solar or geothermal. Here, our geothermal installation experts explain the differences between the two.

The majority of homeowners use electricity, natural gas, or oil to power their homes. However, over the last decade or so, some have turned to alternative sources of energy such as solar or geothermal. Here, our geothermal installation experts explain the differences between the two:

How These Energies Work

While both solar and geothermal energy harvest the power of nature, they work in different ways. Solar panels (which are often installed on your roof) capture the light from the sun and convert it into useable electricity. Geothermal installations, on the other hand, are placed in the ground and use the heat from the earth to power an underground looped system that produces energy.

Location’s Affect on Efficiency

Before homeowners can consider installing an alternative source of energy for their home, they have to first consider the location of their home. Because solar power relies on the sun, a home in a very shaded area or in a state with lots of cloud cover isn’t ideal. While you would still likely get some energy, your solar panels wouldn’t be living up to their true potential. Geothermal units, however, can be used in every region and are especially effective when producing heat. This means if your home is in a colder area, you’ll benefit even more.

Considering the Money Aspect

Cost is a big factor when considering an alternative source of energy – after all, both are significant investments, so many homeowners want to be sure of what they want. The cost of solar panels and the cost of a geothermal installation both depend on the size of your home and how much energy you use. Solar panel costs vary by the number of panels you want to use but can be rounded to $10,000-$20,000. Geothermal units are a little more in price at around $20,000-$25,000.

Before you decide between solar and geothermal, you’ll also want to figure out the amount of money you’ll save in the long run. This depends on the main energy source for your home. If your home is powered by oil or natural gas and you install solar panels, they will only save you money on your electric bill. However, if you choose a geothermal installation, you’ll save money on both your heating and cooling bills.